I have always had a passion for books and for the past four years I was honored with an appointment to the American Library Association CODES Notable Books Council. Now I am starting on a new adventure, the American Library Association CODES The Reading List book award for genre fiction.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

The Oracle: The Lost Secrets And Hidden Message Of Ancient Delphi by William J. Broad

I adore anything to do with archaeology. I have always been particularly enthralled by Egypt and have read most of the early accounts by Howard Carter, E.A. Wallis Budge, W. M. Flinders Petrie and my personal favorite, Amelia Edwards but Greece works for me as well.

The Oracle: The Lost Secrets And Hidden Message Of Ancient Delphi by William J. Broad is the history of the Oracle of Delphi. For centuries it has been widely believed that there was no physical explanation for the hallucinations that the Oracle had during religious ceremonies. The quest of a geologist, De Boer, and an archaeologist, Hale, changed all that when they discovered the existence of a hallucinogenic chasm which effectively disproved all previous theories regarding the Oracles mystic qualities. What makes this book so compelling are the larger-than-life personalities who are willing to face adversity and spend a lifetime in pursuit of answers. Broad's narrative is lively and engaging and has just enough of the Indiana Jones in it to satisfy the armchair archaeologist's among us.